Tag: Joe Montana

Jerry Rice thinks Brock Purdy is genuinely comparable to Joe Montana in the most important ways

Jerry Rice says Brock Purdy is just like Joe Montana. Yes, really.

In his first full season as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback, Brock Purdy has turned a lot of heads. He’s played like a legitimate MVP candidate and might be the reason why San Francisco eventually wins its first Super Bowl championship in roughly three decades.

And according to Jerry Rice — unquestionably the greatest receiver ever to play football — Purdy is so good that he deserves to be compared to former 49ers’ Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. I mean … wow.

During the latest episode of The Warner House, a podcast hosted by 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, Rice discussed what makes Purdy so special. The NFL’s all-time leading receiver went as far as to say that Purdy has the same exact nerves of steel that Montana once did en route to winning four Super Bowls with the 49ers in the 1980s.

You can find this glowing endorsement starting at 22:42 in the video below:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=DSfBA-glLLo%3Fsi%3DHDtWqmIpvF-ykzlA

Rice probably isn’t wrong in his assessment. Even on a loaded team rife with star players, Purdy already has a 42-11 career touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’s already got two playoff wins. And he’s one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks. Full stop.

At this stage, all that’s probably left for Purdy to accomplish is capturing a Super Bowl crown, which admittedly feels inevitable on the best team in professional football.

25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Anthony Carter’s 1987 playoff bonanza

Anthony Carter had one of the best playoff runs in team history

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the ninth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Anthony Carter delivering an all-time performance in the 1987 playoffs.

The 1987 season was an interesting one. The players went on strike and, not only was a game canceled due to the strike, the first three games in October were played with replacement players.

It arguably impacted the Vikings the most, as they went 0-3 with replacement players and 8-4 with their normal roster. In his second season as the head coach, Jerry Burns had the Vikings playing really good football. They snuck into the playoffs with a wild card berth and they went on a run thanks to star wide receiver Anthony Carter.

After being a star in the USFL, Carter signed with the Minnesota Vikings and had himself a really nice career in the NFL. His biggest moment came in the 1987 playoffs when he took over.

Against the New Orleans Saints, Carter did his damage on punt returns. He had only returned three punts all season, but he did so six times in this game, including an 84-yard touchdown. He returned six punts for 143 yards and a touchdown along with six catches for 79 yards and another score.

The divisional round was where he did even more damage. The Vikings dominated the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park by a score of 36-24 and were up 20-3 at the half. Carter was the dominant force in the game, catching 10 passes for a then-playoff-record 227 yards from quarterback Wade Wilson. The Vikings set themselves up for a chance to make the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade.

The 49ers at this time were true powerhouses. Joe Montana to Jerry Rice was the connection of the decade but they weren’t able to get it done on this day.

Things stopped in the NFC Championship Game when Carter caught seven passes for 85 yards but it wasn’t his fault. Running back Darrin Nelson fumbled the ball inside the 10-yard line.

It’s a shame that his tremendous playoff run ended with a dud but it is one of the most impressive playoff performances in team history. If he had been able to play until 1995, the trio of him, Cris Carter and Jake Reed would have been incredible.

 

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback
Jarius Wright Walks Off the Jets
Jared Allen traded to Vikings
Adrian Peterson Sets Rushing Record
Brett Favre Revenge Tour
Bud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing Temperatures
Adrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to Oblivion

Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa receives comparison to HOF quarterback

A four-time Super Bowl champion and two-time league MVP.

The Miami Dolphins took the field on Sunday for their home opener against the Denver Broncos and put down one of the biggest shellackings in the history of the NFL.

But before the game even began, former NFL MVP-turned-broadcaster Boomer Esiason was fawning over the performance of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa through the first two weeks of the season, even comparing him to a Hall of Famer.

“How about Tua Tagovailoa, guys,” Esiason asked his fellow deskmates. “It does warm my heart to see him play the way that he is playing. And, you know what? He played great last year until he got hurt, and then he came back, he played great again, and then he got hurt again… I will say this: His ball, accuracy, anticipation and the softness of the ball coming to the receiver’s hands reminds me of Joe Montana.”

The statement was met with some expected “oohs” and “aahs,” but it’s one that Esiason believes.

Then, the Dolphins went out and scored 70 points with Tagovailoa completing 23 of his 26 attempts for 309 yards and four touchdowns with a 155.8 passer rating. That’s more touchdowns than incompletions.

While the most eye-popping performances of the day may have come from the duo of Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, the quarterback is the one who is executing everything on another level.

It might still be a bit blasphemous to compare a young quarterback who hasn’t even started a playoff game to a four-time Super Bowl champion and two-time league MVP, but what Tagovailoa is doing is clearly impressive. And, if he can continue playing like this and, of course, remain healthy, he’ll have a good shot at helping Miami win their first postseason matchup since 2000.

Notre Dame-Ohio State: Guest picker ideas for ‘College GameDay’

Who should be the guest picker on Gameday?

It’ll be one of those weekends in South Bend that kids across the Midwest grow up dreaming about. The Irish are at home taking on a marquee opponent in a game big enough to attract ESPN’s “College Gameday.”

You can say what you want about the rest of the show, but one thing they certainly knock out of the park is the picks segment. Lee Corso putting on the headgear is a staple of college football Saturdays; he’ll do so for the 401st time this weekend.

But who will be the celebrity guest picker as the show heads to Notre Dame?

We put together a handful of ideas for the folks at ESPN.

Notre Dame football: Brian Kelly soured Joe Montana on Irish

Joe Montana was on the sidelines Saturday during Notre Dame’s domination of Navy and there was a reason that never happened under Kelly

If you’ve watched Notre Dame football over the past couple of years you’ve probably seen a Guinness commercial or two featuring the most famous NFL star to ever come from the university, Joe Montana.

Montana was a Notre Dame legend long before helping the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl titles.  Montana hasn’t been around Notre Dame events much recently, but it would appear the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and 1977 national champion for the Fighting Irish is seeing the school he attended in a positive light again.

And the latest Notre Dame head coach appears to be a major reason why.

I saw this on social media Sunday and thought it was worth sharing.  Jude (@ndjrs) writes for One Foot Down and has as strong of grasp on Notre Dame football history as seemingly anyone these days.  Pete Sampson covers Notre Dame for The Athletic.  Here is their brief conversation.

Montana isn’t the only former Notre Dame player to make it seem that they weren’t too welcomed around the program under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].  Marcus Freeman made alumni relations at least somewhat of a priority upon being named head coach and it would appear whatever was done went a long way with Montana.

It should be noted that Montana’s son Nate played at Notre Dame under Kelly during the 2010 season before transferring to Montana and eventually West Virginia Wesleyan.

Hopefully Montana and plenty of other players from yesteryear continue showing up more often.  Its a tough look when once proud alums can’t even endorse the program they put their own blood, sweat, and tears into.

[lawrence-related id=75490,25397,19609,15343]

ChatGPT ranks top 10 quarterbacks in Notre Dame history

Do you agree with these rankings?

No position in sports is more important than the quarterback. Notre Dame is lucky that it will have a good one this season in [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag]. Though his services only will be for one year, the potential for him to have a history-making season is high. With that will come high expectations.

But how will Hartman measure up to the great Notre Dame quarterbacks of the past? For that, let’s turn to AI writing tool ChatGPT and see what it believes is a fair list for the top 10 men under center to play for the Irish.

Keep in mind that ChatGPT has this disclaimer:

“Ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in Notre Dame history is subjective and open to interpretation, as different eras and playing styles contribute to individual greatness. However, based on their impact on the program, statistical achievements, and team success, the following list represents 10 notable quarterbacks in Notre Dame’s storied history.”

And this one:

“Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and there are many other talented quarterbacks who have contributed to the Notre Dame football legacy. The rankings can vary depending on personal opinions and criteria used to evaluate their performances.”

On that, here is the list with some entries edited for clarity and accuracy:

About that Super Bowl ring on Pawn Stars

Yeah, it belongs to a former Notre Dame player…

[autotag]Joe Montana[/autotag] won three of them as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers but it’s not his we’re talking about.

[autotag]Jerome Bettis[/autotag] played his final football game in Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit but it’s not the ring he received, either.

And it wasn’t Paul [autotag]Hornung[/autotag]’s, the first former Notre Dame player to win a Super Bowl, who we are talking about either.

Instead, take a quick trip down memory lane to former Notre Dame and New England Patriots cornerback [autotag]Brock Williams[/autotag].  He won a Super Bowl XXXVI with the Pats in an upset of the Rams.  The ring he received from the team for winning is no longer his, though.

However, if you’ve watched the TV show “Pawn Stars” then chances are good you’ve seen his ring.  Williams once pawned it for $2,600 to Rick Harrison.  If you’ve seen the show but are unfamiliar with names, Harrison is the bald guy who makes the majority of deals and is seemingly always calling in an expert.  The ring Williams pawned is featured in the show’s open each episode.

Williams told ESPN in 2011 when asked about the ring that:

“Ah, man, that was a bad time,” he says over the phone, letting the space between his words linger. “I’m just trying to put that all behind me.” – Brock Williams

Meanwhile, Harrison clearly sees it from a different perspective:

“You want the thing a guy worked his whole life to get,” -Rick Harrison

Here’s to hoping that Williams has resolved those bad times.

Ring, or no ring.

[listicle id=25211]

The top high school QBs of all time: East region

That inlcudes the eastern region, where some of the greatest pro quarterbacks of all time played their high school football.

While some states are better known for producing great athletes than others, the truth is legendary competitors can come from anywhere. That includes the schools in the east, where more than a few of the greats played their high school football.

As the 2023 high school football season and opening Super 25 nears, we’re looking back at the best players of all time, beginning with the quarterbacks.

To create this list, we selected QBs who played at schools in the following states: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. This format follows our breakdown for Super 25 football regions—East, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West.

 

All-Time Saints Villains: Who has the most passing yards against New Orleans?

Who has thrown the most passing yards against the New Orleans Saints? Matt Ryan put up more yards than Joe Montana and Steve Young put together:

Who has thrown the most passing yards against the New Orleans Saints over the years? Obviously the era and circumstances they played in change things dramatically, but it’s still impressive that Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl-losing quarterback Matt Ryan put up more yards on New Orleans than San Francisco 49ers legends Joe Montana and Steve Young managed together.

We’re putting a lid on our weeklong series exploring the greatest opponents in Saints franchise history, having recapped the all-time leaders in touchdown passes, receiving yards, rushing yards, sacks, tackles for loss, and interceptions — all thanks to research from StatMuse. Let’s take one last look at these passers and be grateful the Saints aren’t competing with them anymore: